TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— The transit system in Terre Haute will be free for everyone starting next year.
Terre Haute Mayor Brandon Sakbun said the decision to eliminate transit fares was easy after realizing the city has the funds, and after studying similar sized communities that offer this same service. He said that residents don’t have to worry about paying for any of these changes.
“To make up the lack of fares here with users, we opted to use gaming revenue for that for 2025 and we will review the pilot program, see how it goes, and make a decision in the future,” said Sakbun.
One of the other reasons this is possible is the city’s partnership with Indiana State University.
ISU President Mike Godard said the university is going to increase its funding to this program by 10 percent.
He said that it is their duty as a university to help provide this service to their students and community.
“We understand that not every student that comes in Indiana State University is a resident of Terre Haute, so we have a financial contribution aspect of this to allow our students to be able to have access to reliable transportation.”
Mayor Sakbun said they will continue to gather feedback from riders through surveys and work with the transit team to improve service quality based on that feedback.
